“Stay close,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Just... don’t leave me alone.”
“Never,” Kyson said, his voice a low, fierce vow, his hand reaching out, hovering near her.
Xander nodded, his eyes locked on hers. “We’re right here, Little Flame.” The endearment felt like a balm, a tender acceptance.
They kept their distance, just enough to avoid overwhelming her with their own Alpha urges, to give her space, but they stayed.
And as the sun began to rise again through the cabin window, casting faint streaks of light across the floor, Lyra drifted into a fragile, sweat-soaked sleep—caught in the storm of something she could no longer outrun, something that had finally claimed her.
Something ancient. Something primal.
And far from over. The real battle was just beginning.
Lyra didn’t
